Call to Mind, Cairn String Quartet & Dr Wook – Eden Court 25/10/2014. A review.

Opening the show, Dr Wook quietly settled on stage to sing his unique brand of folk/blues with heart & passion! Kris Douglas aka Dr Wook also of ‘The Whiskys’ , takes you on a journey with your soul and his brilliant multi instrumental performance.
On this occasion he was supported by electric guitarist Paul Elliott adding a hauntingly beautiful sound behind his classic set including ‘Never Mind’, ‘Need More Time’, covering New Order’s “Love Vigilantes” and finishing with ‘Grace from Below’. His first time at Eden Court received rapturous applause.
Call to Mind opened with ‘A9’, skilfully weaving their surround sound experience much to the delight of their fans! Martin Ross leads the talented & cool band into tracks from their new album ‘The Winter is White’, using a background film of Highland scenes to depict the essence of the material.

Gently creating the ambient music they are known for and scaling new heights, Martin’s keyboard skills were effortless as they sailed through songs such as ‘January’, with a duet for ‘Chemotherapy’ played on the grand piano by Jamie Ross.
The Cairn String Quartet joined them later in the performance as they crafted ‘Breathe’, Over The Machair’, Passing Drumochter’, ending with ‘A Family Sketch’. Call to Mind’s critically acclaimed album was recently playlisted on BBC Radio 1 and the Inverness hometown performance their biggest headline show to date. I couldn’t help feeling that listening without watching might be a different experience.
For me, a few elements didn’t quite come together for them in the live setting, however their loyal fan base applauded and greatly appreciated the performance.